


Truth Be Told

by afteriwake



Category: Bridgerton (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amused Will Mondrich, Canon Rewrite, Comforting Violet Bridgerton, Duelling, Engaged Daphne Bridgerton/Simon Basset, F/M, Forced Marriage, Happy Benedict Bridgerton, Idiots in Love, Loving Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Nervous Daphne Bridgerton, No Miscommunication, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Daphne, POV Daphne Bridgerton, POV Simon, POV Simon Basset, Preoccupied Anthony Bridgerton, Surprised Simon Basset, Truth, Violet Bridgerton Has Reservations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:13:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28928607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: Daphne Bridgerton knows from the start the type of marriage she will have with Simon Basset: a happy, loving, tender marriage...but a marriage without children. She will not ask Simon to break the vow he made to his father on his deathbed, though that means her dreams will not be fulfilled. And for a time, they are blissfully happy, until an evening of too much wine, where Simon forgets his technique to keep her from having children when they make love.Simon knows there's a chance Daphne could be with child and it's all his fault. He wonders, however, if his vow to his father outweighs the vows he made to his wife, and he wrestles with what it all means to him, distancing himself from his wife in the process. Will they have the happily ever after they want for each other, or will their marriage crumble under the weight of a promise made long ago, before love entered their lives?
Relationships: Daphne Bridgerton/Simon Basset
Comments: 55
Kudos: 181





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dreamin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/gifts).



> So I watched Bridgerton in one sitting with my mom, starting right around the garden scene, and I loved their relationship, except for that one scene which most people seem to not like as well. But I asked my friend **Dreamin** why did they have to resort to marital rape to bring angst into their relationship when, if he'd told her the truth (or at least the basic truth) from the start, an accidental sexual encounter where he forgot to pull out could accomplish the same thing? And so this fic was born. 

The shot rang out and the horse spooked. Daphne prepared herself for the fall she knew was coming; fall the wrong way and the duel result wouldn’t matter...she’d be dead. Fall the right way and she could scold both Anthony and Simon on their _utter_ stupidity when there were more pressing problems than what was insinuated to have happened to her honour.

She hit the ground hard but nothing was broken, nothing was hurt too badly. She’s have sore muscles, but she was lucky.

“Daphne!” she heard Simon shout, and then both Anthony and Simon were hovering over her, fussing over her well-being as if a moment ago there hadn’t been a potential duel to the death.

“We were seen,” she said, pushing them both away to give her space. “Simon, _we were seen_.”

“Then you must marry her,” Anthony said, his voice sounding as rigid as a length of steel.

“I cannot.”

“Then—” Anthony began, but Daphne glared at her brother.

“Let me speak to Simon. _Alone_ ,” she said, adding the last part emphatically. Benedict was by her now, and Colin was hovering behind him, and she wanted them all to know when she meant to speak to Simon alone, that meant all of them should stay back. Simon helped her up and she brushed off the dirt from her cloak and gown, then pulled the hood back before leading Simon away from her brothers and his second.

“I can’t give you what you want, Daphne,” Simon said as soon as they were out of earshot of the others. “I made a promise to let the line die with me.”

“Is that why you stood there like an imbecile and let my brother take aim? Simon, we were seen in the garden. My honour could be irreparably damaged and you were willing to die and let me live with the shame.”

His face softened. “I had no idea we were seen, Daphne. But I can’t give you a family, and I know you want that. This line will die with me.”

“Why?” she asked. She wanted to say so much more, that she loved him, that they could be happy without children, that she didn’t care so long as he loved her...there was so much she _wanted_ to say but didn't, instead asking what seemed like the most obvious and yet the most important question she had.

Simon took her hands in his. “When my father lay dying, I vowed to him that there would be no heirs. That once I died, our line would end. I will keep that promise above all others, as I am a man of honour.”

“Then as a man of honour, you must marry me,” she said firmly. Simon opened his mouth to argue but she glared and he closed it. “Simon, if you’re hellbent on keeping this promise, then we can still have a marriage without children. I know...I know I want a family, but I want my brothers and sisters to have a chance at a future as well. If I’m disgraced and you _do not_ marry me, it means then end of _my_ family’s line, and I cannot live with that.”

“Daphne…” he said, reaching up to touch her face. As soon as his gloved fingers touched her face, she shut her eyes and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She loved this man, this utterly amazing and utterly stunning and utterly foolish man, and if that meant to give up her dream to have him and save her family from ruin, so be it. She had other dreams, and while she wanted a family, if she had Simon, that would be enough.

She hoped. He had to agree to marry her first.

“Alright,” he said softly. “Daphne Bridgerton, will you accept my hand in marriage?”

She opened up her eyes and smiled at him. “Yes.”


	2. Chapter 2

The men watched Colin and Daphne ride back home, and as soon as Daphne was out of sight Anthony took two steps forward and punched Simon hard in the shoulder. “What was that for?” Simon asked, surprised.

“All of this fuss could have been saved if you had simply agreed to marry her in the garden,” Anthony said, shaking his head. “So many things are in the air now…”

“But I’m marrying her, which was the other point of this duel,” Simon said. “Assuming I didn’t let you kill me first.”

“And why were you so willing to die?” Benedict asked curiously.

“Because I love your sister but I won’t give her the family she wants.” _And yet she’ll still marry me,_ he added to himself, half in wonder. He did not deserve Daphne but he would show her that he worshiped the very ground she walked on every day of their lives together.

“Why? Don’t you want a legacy?” Benedict asked, looking confused now.

“Your father,” Anthony said quietly.

“Yes. I made the bastard a deathbed promise that the line would die with me. I intended never to marry in order to keep that promise, but now…” He looked at Anthony. “We need to secure a special license if we were seen in the garden as Daphne has said. Even though nothing permanently damaging happened--”

“Except to Daphne’s reputation,” Anthony interjected.

“Yes. But I meant that she and I can announce our engagement, unless that gossip rag does first, but we must get married sooner rather than later.”

“And we’ll get you the license,” Benedict said. Then he grinned. “If Anthony won’t say it, I will. Welcome to the family.”

“I suppose you’re going to take my other duties as well?” Anthony asked his brother, a slightly teasing lilt in his voice. “Never mind. We’ll have to wait for Mama to be told, and I think if Daphne can convince the household she spent all evening in her bed, she can break it to her more easily. I hope she doesn’t stumble over the reasons for a rush.”

“You give Daphne far too little credit,” Simon said. “But I suppose there are worse families to be wed into.” He paused. “I suggest we all get a drink and some breakfast and start making plans.”

“I have something else to attend to,” Anthony said, appearing crestfallen. “But call at the house at noon and we’ll get everything ready for a rushed wedding.” Anthony turned and left, leaving the others in disbelief.

“I’ll take you up on a drink and breakfast,” Benedict said, clapping Simon on the shoulder, who in turn beckoned to Will. “You’re more than welcome to join us.”

“One drink, and then I go home to the wife,” he said. “And I can’t wait to tell her what a pea-brained idiot you were, Simon.”

“Love makes you do the strangest things,” Simon said, clapping Will on the shoulder. “I hope she enjoys my brush with misfortune.”

**\--**

Daphne and Colin made it back just as the sun was rising high enough to wake the household. Daphne changed out of what she could to look as though she had been sleeping in bed all evening, and it was only seconds after she had pulled the duvet over her that her lady’s maid came in. She allowed herself to be dressed and stifled her yawns as much as she could before going downstairs to face her mother.

Many thoughts roiled about in her head. What would she say? How much should she tell? Would her mother judge for the rush in marriage? Did her mother prefer the Prince and would hold it against her? She doubted that would be the case, but Simon...she loved him. Even if he wouldn’t give her children, they could be happy together. She just wanted her mother’s approval so very much.

Violet came into the sitting room after her. “Oh, my head,” Violet said.

“Are you unwell?” Daphne asked, concern in her voice.

“Too much champagne,” she said. Her own ladies maid came with one of those vile concoctions that was supposedly a cure for too much drink, and she watched her mother make a face as she sipped at it. “Do you have any news?”

“I am engaged,” she said.

Violet’s eyes sparkled. “To the Prince?”

“To the Duke,” Daphne said. Now Violet’s eyes widened. “I love him, Mama. And he loves me. We want to marry as quickly as possible.”

“That’s most excellent news!” Violet said. Then she paused. “Your brother rushed you out from the garden. Did...something happen?” She set the concoction down. “Things like that...tend to, with people in love.”

Daphne wrung her hands for a moment and then began to pace. “We had an argument. Mama, he loves me, but he didn’t want to marry me at first. And then the argument rushed into a fit of passion and I let him take liberties, but Anthony found us, but not before we were seen by Cressida, and then Anthony challenged Simon to a duel and I was kept out of all the details until I cornered Colin and made him tell me and I was almost shot!” The shock and drama of the evening all came out in one long sentence and it felt so freeing to let her mama know the entire truth. “But...no one died, no one was hurt. Simon does love me and he’s agreed to marry me but Mama, he doesn’t want children.”

“Oh, Daphne,” Violet said, opening her arms to her daughter. Daphne moved into her embrace. “It sounds like the most eventful of evenings. I’ll have words with Anthony about the foolishness of a duel later, but for now, let’s do what we can. Your brother and Simon can only plan so much for a shortened engagement.”

“You’re not angry?” Daphne said, lifting her head up and looking at her mother.

“I’ll admit it’s disappointing to hear he doesn’t want children. Of all of mine, you were the one who wanted a big family the most. But even if your reputation wasn’t at stake, it’s clear you love each other. And...people change. Promises can be amended.” She kissed Daphne’s forehead gently. “Did you get any rest last night?”

“No,” Daphne said.

“Then go back and rest. I’ll have your breakfast brought to you in a few hours. And once you’ve eaten and rested a bit, we’ll start with some things that you’ll need to know before your wedding night, especially in the matters of...procreation, so you know what to avoid n order to help Simon keep his promise.”

“Thank you,” Daphne said gratefully. She pulled away from her mother and made her way back to her room, breathing easier. There were still things to be done and hurdles to be crossed, but she had her mother and Simon to rely on so she could relax a bit.

She hoped.


End file.
